Nataraja, Shiva as Lord of the Dance, and other Dance-related wordsBronze Chola Statue depicting Shiva dancing as Nataraja. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.

A cobra uncoils from his lower right forearm, and the crescent moon and a skull are on his crest. He dances within an arch of flames. This dance is called the Dance of Bliss, ananda tandava.

The upper right hand holds a small drum shaped like an hourglass that is called a ḍamaru in Sanskrit.[4][5][6]. A specific hand gesture (mudra) called ḍamaru-hasta (Sanskrit for "ḍamaru-hand") is used to hold the drum.[7] It symbolizes sound originating creation.

The upper left hand contains Agni or fire, which signifies destruction. The opposing concepts in the upper hands show the counterpoise of creation and destruction.

The second right hand shows the Abhaya mudra (meaning fearlessness in Sanskrit), bestowing protection from both evil and ignorance to those who follow the righteousness of dharma.

The second left hand points towards the raised foot which signifies upliftment and liberation.

The dwarf on which Nataraja dances is the demon Apasmara, which symbolises Shiva's victory over ignorance(ego).

As the Lord of Dance, Nataraja, Shiva performs the tandava, the dance in which the universe is created, maintained, and dissolved. Shiva's long, matted tresses, usually piled up in a knot, loosen during the dance and crash into the heavenly bodies, knocking them off course or destroying them utterly.

The surrounding flames represent the manifest Universe.Also, the circle of fire/flames symbolizes the cycle of transmigration/suffering the ego goes through(endless births and rebirths, before attaining salvation).

The snake swirling around his waist is kundalini, the Shakti or divine force thought to reside within everything.

The stoic face of Shiva represents his neutrality, thus being in balance.

(ifc.) having the manner or form of anything , similar to , resembling , like but with a degree of inferiority , almost (e.g.abhedya-kalpa , almost impenetrable ; cf.prabhāta-k° , mṛta-k° , &c ; according to native grammarians , kalpa so used is an accentless affix [ Pa1n2. 5-3 , 67] , before which a final s is left unchanged , and final ī and ū shortened Pa1n2. Vop. ; kalpamind. , may be also connected with a verb e.g.pacati-kalpam , he cooks pretty well Ka1s3. on Pa1n2. 8-1 , 57)

(H1B)

kálpa 1 [L=46081]

m.

a fabulous period of time (a day of brahmā or one thousand yugas , a period of four thousand , three hundred and twenty millions of years of mortals , measuring the duration of the world ; a month of brahmā is supposed to contain thirty such kalpas. ; according to the MBh. , twelve months of brahmā constitute his year , and one hundred such years his lifetime ; fifty years of brahmā's are supposed to have elapsed , and we are now in the śvetavārāha-kalpa of the fifty-first ; at the end of a kalpa the world is annihilated ; hence kalpa is said to be equal to kalpā*nta below L. ; with Buddhists the kalpas.are not of equal duration) VP. BhP. Ra1jat. &c

-nṛtyati , to dance before (in token of contempt) , mock in turn by dancing before (acc.) MBh. : Intens.-narnṛtīti , to dance before (in token of love) , delight or gladden by dancing before (acc.) Pat.

dancing , a dance (esp. accompanied with instrumental music and singing) , a dance representing the emotions of love dramatically (this was at one time a principal part of the drama , and as such accord. to bharata and the daśa-rūpa consisted of 10 divisions or aṅgas , viz. geya-pada , sthita-pāṭhya , āsīna , puṣpa-gaṇḍikā , pracchedaka , tri-gūḍha or tri-mūḍhaka , saindhava , dvigūḍhaka or vimūḍhaka , uttamóttamaka , and ukta-pratyukta ; including also a style of dramatic composition in which there is abrupt transition from Sanskrit to Prakrit and from Prakrit to Sanskrit ; the term lāsya is also applied to the Nach [Nautch] dance of the Indian dancing girls , consisting chiefly of gesticulation with a shuffling movement of the feet forwards and backwards , as invented by pārvati and opposed to the boisterous masculine dance called tāṇḍava practised by śiva and his followers ; cf.IW. 467) MBh. Ka1v. &c

one of the eighteen upa-rūpakas or minor dramatic entertainments (described as a piece in one act , consisting chiefly of singing and dancing by one male and 7 , 8 , or 10 female performers ; perhaps a kind of ballet) Sa1h.

(H1B)

hallīśa [L=261883]

n.

a circular dance (performed by women under the direction of a man) Ka1vya7d.